Improvement in bee-hives



" hive in any of the usual methods.

wat @tithe iliflf sans Josnrn terrien, AND'EDWARD annuleert,` or srninerinthonio.

I l "Letters Patent No. 107,7 92QdatedvSeptember 2,7, 11870.

nMPRovi-:MENT IN BEE-Hives.

The Schedule referredto :in thse Letters Patent and making pari: of the same.

Toall whomvit may concern.-

` y Be it .known that we,'JosEP"HQLnFFEn and ED- `WARD IEIARRISOIT,` of Springfield,` `in the county of Clark and in the State of Ohio, `have invented new and useful Improvements in Bee-Hives; and do `hereby declare that the following description, taken in con-4 nection with the accompanying drawing hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specification `of the same, wherein we haves'et forth the nature and `principles of our said improvementstby which our inventionmaybe'distingushed from others of a similar' class, togetherywith suohpiu'ts a's we claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent.' y l y jv Our invention relates to, that description of hives in which detachable Jhoney-boxesl are made use of, and movable comb-frames used; and Y y The nature. of l our invention consists in certain Ainod-iicationsllin. thef details of the same,\'vhereby4 4 First, the hive may be openedand its entire inher Acontents examiuedby Ydividing it into two: sections by a vertical'plane.' v J i ,Second, in providing a novel-arrangement for `the comb-guides, and other parts entering into the construction oi' 'the hive, whereby certain important results areV obtained, as hereinafter more viullydesc'ribed and shown., y Inthe` accompanying drawingwhich 'illustrates our invention and forms part of the specification thereof,

.and in which corresponding partsfare represented by -Similar letters--V t t f Figure lis a view, in perspective, of the hive, partially opened, with portions ofthe same removed, in

order more fully to illustrate the arrangement of the interior;

v Figure vfis a side viewof one of the comb-frames vFigure; 3 represents a comb-framqboarded upon nue of its sides, which we term `acoudenser t Fignre'4 is a front view of the, hive complete and closed; and y l `Figure 5l represents thelbottom` oi' the hive, showing the manner 'in lwhich the 4bottomV Vboards are l hinged.`

i The construction44 and relative arrangement of-the parts constituting `our invention are as follows:

The cap' F is of the ordinary ferm, and ofsneh a size asto be` litted with iatsility over the top oi" the The body ormain port-ion- A A" of thev hive, however, is divided by avertical plane, after the removal of Athe cap Jil, into two parts,'jwhich arexhinged together'at the bottoms thereof `in such ,a Vmanner that each may be freely revolved vfronl'the other, or made to stand ajar at any angle from eachother within the are of onehundredand eighty degrees.

` The lower or breeding-chamber A A' is tiftted upon combs than anywhere else.

f iness of the colony or stock. i t

The' frames are constituted so that the bees are rethe bottom board B B', and provided with two entrauces,c and c', and near the top of the' said breeding-chamber-are the cleats D, upon which rests the' cap of the hive, and upon the inner and upper'edges of the said breeding-chamberv are out rabbets or rect angular grooves, upon and withinwhich rests the bot-` tom of the honey-box E. l

Rabbets are alsocut upon the detachable cover F, to'iitthe corresponding upper edges of said honeyboxt y Both the lowerchamber, andthe honey-box above the same, are provided and filled with comb-frames H.

The sides of the saidframes are rectangular in form, and may be packed closely togetherwith their edges touching each other. The cross-harsh are also rectangular in form and parallel to each otl'1er,'having between them longitudinal apertures-or slots. v

,The comb-.guide K is of the forni of a triangular prisrn,`the flat surface `of which presents a parallel plane to the opening between thebars, and is arranged ata distance .from the said opening equal to about the width ofthe same. y Thasaid cross-bars h' are iush with the top oi' the breeding-chamber, there being no space between them 4and the bottoms of the corresponding strips or slatsA which form the bottom of the honey-box.

The condenser K is ofthe same construction as the rcomb-frames, except' that one side of the same is Vlloarded'over in order that the dimensity of thej hive may be limited bya lateral movement pt' the condenser. The side of the condenser may be made of wooLL.

glass, orother suitable material. t

y The operation of our'invention islas follows:

When it is `desired to handle the comb-frames in the breeding-chamber, Vthe honey-boxshould be taken oi; but when it is wished merely to inspect the enter or remove the queen, it isI not always necessay to re- `move the honey-box. The `advantages lof` this ccntral vertical opening are obvious. v

Usually in examining a hive ot' bees, it. is vthe center or heart that the operator has most todo with. The queen is more frequently found on the center We look there for brood, queen-cells, Src., and also to ascertain the health- Vquired to. pass over the comb-guides to gain access to the honey-box. This 'arrangement ofthe combguides has a tendency to :prevent .the bees building crooked, by leaving the guide for the bars adjoining, as

in ordinary movable comb-hives. t

The arrangement ol?` the bars and comb-guides also prevents a direct draught of coldair'among the bees and brood during the time oi winter, upward ventilation; and during the honey seasonr this nlrengeinent 'gives just enogh passage-way to the supers. 4

The condenser, the construction of which hns been Vhereinimore described, is for the purpose of keeping small swarms andnuciei in a proper compnss,m1d thus economize the heat which is so necessary to their` welfare.

do not claim, genernily, the dividing of yhires into `two independent sections, irrespective of the manner Y'Potent-- 1. A hive, the body of which is divided into two sections by a vertical plane, when the sections are hinged together at the bottoms thereof, as and for the purposes described,

.2. Fitting the eomh-gnidesmnder the cross-hars of the comb-frames, as herein described and shown.

1n testimony that' We claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 22d dny oi' December,

' JOSEPH. LEFFEL.

EDWARD HARRISON.

Witnesses:

JACOB R. MCGARRY, 0. S. L.`BAL1RD. 

